to help us to understand and deconstruct capitalism in order to create a sustainable and peaceful social system.

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Thursday, August 25, 2016

The Broken Chessboard: Brzezinski Gives up on Empire

While Zbigniew Brzezinski’s article in The American Interest titled “Towards a Global Realignment” [because this can no longer be accessed at The American Interest website--access it here] has largely been ignored by the media, it shows that powerful members of the policymaking establishment no longer believe that Washington will prevail in its quest to extent US hegemony across the Middle East and Asia. Brzezinski, who was the main proponent of this idea and who drew up the blueprint for imperial expansion in his 1997 book The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives, has done an about-face and called for a dramatic revising of the strategy.

Even though Whitney backed his interpretation of Brzezinski’s new political orientation, I was so mystified by the dramatic change that I decided to read his article (which unfortunately I didn't post back in April when it was published).

The inferences I draw from reading his article are slightly different than Whitney's who takes a rather superficial view of US politics. Although Whitney sees Brzezinski as influential, he attributes agency to official office holders like Obama and H. Clinton. In contrast I see a deep state (see this and this) that functions as decision makers behind the officials. The latter only serve to carry out orders of the deep state. In the past Brzezinski with his extreme hostility toward Russia has clearly served as a major actor in this deep state. However unless we see parallel changes in the conduct of current US foreign policies, one can only conclude that he is no longer a major influence in deep state circles. Thus far I have seen no changes.

This could be an indication that the Zionist faction, aka "neocons", are now in command of the deep state. Thus one should look at the continuing conduct of US foreign affairs and the support placed on this conduct by corporate media to decide who controls the deep state and place much less importance on the political campaign statements made by H. Clinton.

Otherwise Brzezinski’s article shows considerable insight about changes in the global power struggle for dominance. His Polish aristocratic background is illustrated in the article with his global power chessboard perspective and the importance he places on maintaining global order. Ruling class people always think that in the absence of their rule social chaos would ensue.

The article also demonstrates an unusual (for him) awareness of the crimes committed by powerful nations against colonial peoples, and an awareness of the imminent problem of climate destabilization and the need for united action against its effects. Absolutely amazing!